Grandfather's Pioneer Stories

The raider that wasn't was one of the humorous pioneer stories told by woman's grandfather.

CAPPER's Staff

| Good Old Days

We children used to sit spellbound by the hour and listen to Grandfather tell pioneer stories from when he settled in the Platte Valley of Nebraska. He settled in the days when Indians still were making raids on settlers.

One night, word came that the Indians were coming. The men gathered in one of the homes and sat quietly with their guns loaded waiting for the expected attack. Finally, they heard a noise and saw movement in the bushes. They opened fire. Then all was quiet for the rest of the night. The next morning they found an innocent-looking calf in the yard dead, and full of bullet holes!

Mrs. Orville HuntWauneta, Nebraska

Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then CAPPER’s WEEKLY asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from CAPPER’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.

Want to rediscover what made grandma’s house the fun place we all remember? Capper’s Farmer — the newly restored publication from the rural know-how experts at Grit.com — updates the tried-and-true methods your grandparents used for cooking, crafting, gardening and so much more. Subscribe today and discover the joys of homemade living and homesteading insight — with a dash of modern living — that makes up the new Capper’s Farmer.

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